Methods and apparatus for cementing drill strings in place for one pass drilling and completion of oil and gas wells

• US 7,040,420 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2003
• Issued: 05/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Weatherford/Lamb Incorporated (Weatherford International PLC)
• Original Assignee: Weatherford/Lamb Incorporated (Weatherford International PLC)
• Inventors: Vail, William Banning III
• Primary Examiner(s): TSAY, FRANK
• Application Number:
  US10/717,422
• Publication Number:
  US 20040108142A1
• Time in Patent Office: 902 Days
• Field of Search: 175/22, 175/92, 175/171, 175/57, 175/261, 175/23, 175/26, 175/53, 175/78
• US Class Current: 175/171
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 10/64 characterised by the whole or part thereof being insertable into or removable from the borehole without withdrawing the drilling pipe
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 17/206 with conductors, e.g. electrical, optical
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 21/10 Valve arrangements in drilling-fluid circulation systems
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 23/00 Apparatus for displacing, setting, locking, releasing or removing tools, packers or the like in boreholes or wells setting of casings, screens or liners E21B43/10
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 23/001 Self-propelling systems or apparatus, e.g. for moving tools within the horizontal portion of a borehole
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 23/10 Tools specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/14 for cementing casings into boreholes
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/16 using plugs for isolating cement charge; Plugs therefor stage cementing E21B33/146; spacer compositions C09K8/424
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 34/105 retrievable, e.g. wire line retrievable, i.e. with an element which can be landed into a landing-nipple provided with a passage for control fluid
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 41/0085 Adaptations of electric power generating means for use in boreholes
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/065 using oriented fluid jets
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/20 Driving or forcing casings or pipes into boreholes, e.g. sinking; Simultaneously drilling and casing boreholes

Abstract

The steel drill string attached to a drilling bit during typical rotary drilling operations used to drill oil and gas wells is used for a second purpose as the casing that is cemented in place during typical oil and gas well completions. Methods of operation are described that provide for the efficient installation of a cemented steel cased well wherein the drill string and the drill bit are cemented into place during one single drilling pass down into the earth. A stabilizer is attached to the drill string that is used to centralize the drill string in the well during cementing operations. A one-way cement valve is installed near the drill bit of the drill string that allows the cement to set up efficiently under ambient hydrostatic conditions while the drill string and drill bit are cemented into place during one single drilling pass into the earth.

Claims

1. A method of making a cased wellbore comprising at least the steps of:

assembling a lower segment of a drill string comprising in sequence from top to bottom a first hollow segment of drill pipe, a latching subassembly means possessing multiple stabilizer ribs attached to the exterior of said latching subassembly means to stabilize the drill string during drilling, and a rotary drill bit having at least one mud passage for passing drilling mud from the interior of the drill string to the outside of the drill string;

rotary drilling the well into the earth to a predetermined depth with the drill string by attaching successive lengths of hollow drill pipes to said lower segment of the drill string and by circulating mud from the interior of the drill string to the outside of the drill string during rotary drilling so as to produce a wellbore;

after said predetermined depth is reached, pumping a latching float collar valve means down the interior of the drill string with drilling mud until it seats into place within said latching subassembly means;

pumping a bottom wiper plug means down the interior of the drill string with cement until the bottom wiper plug means seats on the upper portion of the latching float collar valve means so as to clean the mud from the interior of the drill string;

pumping any required additional amount of cement into the wellbore by forcing it through a portion of the bottom wiper plug means and through at least one mud passage of the drill bit into the wellbore;

pumping a top wiper plug means down the interior of the drill string with water until the top wiper plug seats on the upper portion of the bottom wiper plug means thereby cleaning the interior of the drill string and forcing additional cement into the wellbore through at least one mud passage of the drill bit;

allowing the cement to cure;

thereby cementing into place the drill string to make a cased wellbore.

2. Rotary drilling apparatus to drill a borehole into the earth comprising a hollow drill string possessing at least one drilling stabilizer means, the drill string attached to a rotary drill bit having at least one mud passage for passing the drilling mud from within the hollow drill string to the borehole, a source of drilling mud, a source of cement, and at least one latching float collar valve means that is pumped with the drilling mud into place above the rotary drill bit to install said latching float collar means within the hollow drill string above said rotary drill bit that is used to cement the drill string and rotary drill bit into the earth during one pass into the formation of the drill string to make a steel cased well.

3. A method of drilling a well from the surface of the earth and cementing a drill string into place within a wellbore to make a cased well during one pass into formation using an apparatus comprising at least a hollow drill string possessing at least one drilling stabilizer means, the drill string attached to a rotary drill bit, said bit having at least one mud passage to convey drilling mud from the interior of the drill string to the wellbore, a source of drilling mud, a source of cement, and at least one latching float collar valve assembly means, using at least the following steps:

pumping said latching float collar valve means from the surface of the earth through the hollow drill string with drilling mud so as to seat said latching float collar valve means above said drill bit; and

pumping cement through said seated latching float collar valve means to cement the drill string and rotary drill bit into place within the wellbore, whereby at least a portion of said drill string is centralized in said well while cementing said drill string into place within said wellbore by the presence of said drilling stabilizer means.

4. A method for drilling and casing a wellbore, comprising:

providing a drill string and an earth removal member operatively connected to the drill string, at least a portion of the drill string comprising casing;

drilling the wellbore while stabilizing the drill string;

disposing the casing portion within the wellbore, thereby lining the wellbore; and

setting the casing portion into place using a physically alterable bonding material while continuing to centrally position the casing portion in relation to a diameter of the wellbore, wherein the setting the casing portion into place using a physically alterable bonding material comprises;

(a) pumping a latching float collar valve member from the surface of the earth through the drill string with drilling mud so as to seat the latching float collar valve member above the earth removal member, wherein the earth removal member possesses at least one mud passage to convey drilling mud from the interior of the drill string to the wellbore, and

(b) pumping cement through the seated latching float collar valve member to cement the drill string and the earth removal member into place within the wellbore.